Show and Help: Augmented Reality Advancements Simplify Remote Support for Anything, Anywhere

June 4, 2020
Uncategorized

Augmented reality technology has advanced beyond games like Pokemon GO! into a powerful real-time support solution: TeamViewer Pilot. New developments in 3D object tracking and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) make it easier than ever to provide expert-level support anywhere.

Augmented reality (AR) is known as a gaming technology, a way to make characters and monsters appear as they would in the real world with the help of your mobile device’s camera and display.

Fast forward to new mobile application layers and remote connectivity capabilities, AR can be used for much more than a high score. It can be used to help people solve technical issues beyond software, making support processes more time- and cost-efficient.

Using TeamViewer Pilot, our remote support app powered by augmented reality, an expert can see what the person needing support sees in a live streaming interactive video call and walk them through complicated processes or simple setups by tagging objects with 3D markers, adding text annotations, and freehand drawing on the screen for clarification.

In the repair and maintenance industry, junior field service technicians can be guided remotely by master technicians, saving travel time and making service calls more efficient and successful. With the capabilities of TeamViewer Pilot, repairs and maintenance on costly machinery can be completed with less human error, increasing uptime. And you can help anyone set up equipment or perform a repair, like a flat tire, without an on-site service call.

For example, Hurco, a leader in CNC machine tool technology, uses TeamViewer Pilot to minimize machine downtime, reducing costs by more than $10,000 per month while increasing customer satisfaction.

Advances in AR-Powered Remote Support

Inspired by our customers, their needs, and feedback, our TeamViewer Pilot is excited to share these new features and updates.

3D Annotations

When using Pilot, the expert sees what the technician on-site sees through their smartphone camera or smartglasses. Then, using advanced 3D object tracking, the expert can “mark” the display with arrows, notes, and highlights that make it easy for the user to follow along with the expert’s instructions. And the notes “stick” to the referenced real-world objects, even if the camera moves away.

Advanced Object Tracking

TeamViewer Pilot is built on top of two platforms: the Apple ARKit and Google ARCore. In fact, Pilot was one of the first apps to apply the new LIDAR scanner, included in the new iPad Pro by Apple. This technology, usually used in self-driving cars, enhances Pilot’s object tracking capabilities even further: Surfaces, objects, and their relational distance from the camera are recognized even more precisely.

Smartglasses Support

Speaking of new technology, smartglasses have become commonplace on shop floors, factories, and service calls. Pilot can be seamlessly integrated into smartglasses and wearable headsets from Epson, RealWear, and Vuzix. With this capability, a technician’s hands can remain free to do the work needed to support customers.

Send/Receive Files

Although the person providing help during Pilot sessions tends to be an expert in that field, sometimes technicians still need to refer to manuals, diagrams, or other files during their work.

With just the click of a button, you can now send a file to your remote user through Pilot. You can even refer to the file together in real time, making sure the problem is solved just as it should be according to the documentation.

Session Recording

There are many reasons why you may want to record a Pilot session. Perhaps for quality assurance or to produce more realistic training programs that utilize real-world examples rather than mockups and diagrams. You can now record a Pilot session from the expert’s side, producing a video file that is immediately ready for use on any computer.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

When providing service, long strings of characters often come into use. MAC addresses, serial numbers, VIN numbers, and IP addresses sometimes must be relayed from the person needing help to the expert – usually verbally. That leads to mistakes and frustration.

TeamViewer Pilot now includes Optical Character Recognition, or OCR for short, a functionality to recognize printed characters like those often found on machines, tools, and equipment. Once recognized, those characters can be used anywhere through the normal cut-and-paste function. No more customers or technicians misreading one character, resulting in insufficient support efforts or ordering incorrect parts due to human error

See what they see firsthand with a free trial of TeamViewer Pilot.

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